Oceanography

Oceanography

The scientific studies of the ocean.

Industry: Earth science

Add a new term

Contributors in Oceanography

Become a Contributors

Oceanography

reduced gravity

Earth science; Oceanography

The effective change in the acceleration of gravity acting on one fluid in contact with a fluid of different density due to buoyancy forces. Explicitly, the reduced gravity is g'=g ...

heat flux

Earth science; Oceanography

The flow of heat across a surface of unit area in a unit amount of time; commonly expressed in units of cal/cm2-sec or W/(M2-A).

pressure gradient force

Earth science; Oceanography

The force that causes acceleration from higher to lower pressure in a fluid such as the air. It arises because of a pressure gradient or change between higher and lower pressure. As an analogy, ...

cardinal points

Earth science; Oceanography

The four main navigational directions (North, East, South, and West) found on a compass or a map.

power spectrum

Earth science; Oceanography

The Fourier transform of the kinetic energy field. The power spectrum provides a useful diagnostic to measure a what length scales energy is concentrated and, in turbulent flow, over what length ...

The global oceanic conveyer belt, is a unifying concept that connects the ocean's surface and thermohaline (deep mass) circulation regimes, transporting heat and salt on a planetary scale. Oceanic ...

greenhouse effect

Earth science; Oceanography

The greenhouse effect causes the atmosphere to trap more heat energy at the Earth's surface and within the atmosphere by absorbing and re-emitting longwave energy. Of the longwave energy emitted ...